Bonn 2026: Green Plakette Rule in Force Since July 2014
Bonn, Germany · Umweltzone
Yes, Bonn needs the green Plakette, compulsory since 1 July 2014 in a zone running since 2010. Diesel needs Euro 4, petrol a regulated catalyst. Without it the fine is EUR 100.
Locally the zone is called Umweltzone Bonn (Germany) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Bonn — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Cologne has a zone too — the nearest one to Bonn, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Can your car enter Bonn?
Bonn’s Umweltzone started on 1 January 2010, and since 1 July 2014 only cars with the green Umweltplakette may enter: diesel from Euro 4 (or Euro 3 with a particulate filter) and petrol with a regulated catalytic converter. Driving in without a valid sticker costs a flat EUR 100. German hire cars carry the sticker already; a foreign car needs one before it crosses the zone sign.
This page covers driving around Bonn. For the zone boundary and exemptions, see the Bonn emission zone details.
The green sticker
The Plakette goes on the inside of the windscreen and is issued against the car’s registration document by testing stations and authorised garages. One sticker covers every German Umweltzone, so if you are touring the Rhine cities it is a single purchase. Motorcycles fall outside the rules.
Park and ride
Central parking is limited and paid. A Park and Ride site on the edge, plus the tram, bus or Stadtbahn into the centre, is the simpler way to reach the old town, Beethoven’s birthplace and the museums along the federal quarter. Germany’s national limits apply: 50 km/h in town and a 0.05% alcohol limit, zero for drivers under 21 or on probation.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Siebengebirge hills across the Rhine and the river valley to the south.
Sources
- Umweltbundesamt, register of German low-emission zones (Bonn: in force since 1 January 2010, green sticker since 1 July 2014): gis.uba.de
- 35th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (35. BImSchV), sticker classes: gesetze-im-internet.de
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung §3 (50 km/h in towns) and Straßenverkehrsgesetz §24c (alcohol ban under 21 and on probation): gesetze-im-internet.de
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
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Winter tyres in Germany — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in Germany whenever conditions are wintry — Situational (when conditions require: ice, snow, slush, black ice).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — Germany sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF only — the M+S transitional rule no longer applies to cars (StVZO §36(4))
- Studded tyres: banned
- Penalty: EUR 60 + 1 point; EUR 80 if you obstruct traffic; EUR 75 for the vehicle owner
In German the rule is Winterreifenpflicht, and snow chains are Schneeketten — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Checked against national legislation, 1 Oct 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Bonn's Umweltzone has existed since 1 January 2010 and has required the green Umweltplakette since 1 July 2014, for foreign cars as well as German ones. German hire cars already carry one.
Diesel cars from Euro 4, or Euro 3 with a particulate filter, and petrol cars with a regulated catalytic converter. The same sticker is valid in every German Umweltzone.
EUR 100, the flat amount for driving in any German Umweltzone without a valid Plakette. The Flensburg penalty point that once came with it was abolished in 2014.
At a Park and Ride site or a garage outside the core, then take the tram, bus or Stadtbahn into the centre. Central parking is limited and paid.
Not for the city. A car helps for the Siebengebirge hills across the Rhine and the river valley south toward the Ahr.
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